In vitro fertilisation for all?

Editor—Inequality of provision of health care because of postcode prescribing is more complex than suggested by Ashcroft.¹ Some differences may indeed result from differences in priorities and values between purchasers, but whether a service is funded depends on rates of ill health and funding locally.

This primary care trust is funded at £10m under its target allocation. We have to prioritise serious medical and psychiatric conditions. This combination of high morbidity and under-resourcing is why we do not fund in vitro fertilisation, not because we place a low value on it.